Love Don't Cost a Thing
by Tori Bradley
Summary: COMPLETE...JUST WHEN TORI THOUGHT HER LIFE WAS GETTING BACK ON TRACK, HER FAMILY’S PAST COMES BACK WITH A VENGEANCE…
1. Default Chapter

HI EVERYONE! HERE'S YET ANOTHER ONE OF MY FICS, AND I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT AS MUCH AS I DO.

AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF IT!

I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OC'S, JOHN AND MAX.

SUMMARY: JUST WHEN TORI THOUGHT HER LIFE WAS GETTING BACK ON TRACK, HER FAMILY'S PAST COMES BACK WITH A vengeance…

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_'Dearest Victoria,_

_If you are reading this, then the time has come for me to pass on from this world. I'm so very sorry my little one, but such things just happen. _

_Know that I will always love you, and that your mother and I are together watching over you. Know that no matter where you go or what you become, you will always be our little Tori... making us proud to call you our own._

_Now my sweetheart, I leave to you all in my possession. The manor and everything is to go to you and only you. When you reach your 21st birthday, the full estate shall be granted to you in order carry on the Hanson name and the proud traditions we have upheld._

_I know your Aunt Elanor and Uncle John will take great care of you in my stead and I know that you will make them as proud as you have always made me._

_Great things await you my little one, I know it in my heart. _

_I love you Tori...'_

John McCall read the letter over again as he saw his four-year-old niece and his wife walking through the large parlor of the Hanson manor.

Elanor, his wife, was from the wealthiest family in Blue Bay Harbor, the Hansons. When her parents had passed, Elanor and her brother Nikolas inherited everything.

Nikolas had married a very kind and beautiful woman, Joanna. Two years later they were blessed with Tori. Unfortunately for the Hansons, the joy was short lived. Only a few weeks after giving birth, Joanna fell ill and passed away, leaving Tori with her father and aunt.

It was around that time when John set his eyes on Elanor, and from the day they said 'I Do' he planned on taking her for everything she was worth. There was never any love involved on his part; just greed that drove him... and he wouldn't stop until he was in complete control of the Hanson estate.

The passing of his brother-in-law had thrown a major wrench in the works as he found the letter giving everything to the little brat he and his wife had been stuck with.

He would have to take care of her as well, but he would have to wait nearly seventeen years before everything was official, but he was willing to wait it out in order to get what he wanted.

As the time went by, John could see that his act was failing with his wife. Elanor was no fool, and knew that her husband was after something.

It was six years after her brother's passing that Elanor finally approached John on the subject of their marriage. They had had an argument and Elanor left the house, leaving Tori with the maid for a bit.

Tori, now ten, watched as her Auntie Ellie got into her car and drove down the long and winding driveway that lead to the open road.

Elanor never made it home that night...

Tori was told by her Uncle John that her car had ran off the road, crashing into a tree. Tori was utterly numb inside. She knew something else was going on, but she didn't want to start anything with her Uncle out of fear of what he may do to her.

After the services, John began his plan to finally have all that he wanted. His greed and want for power kept him blind to everything else.

Tori was immediately enrolled in a boarding school not too far away from Blue Bay Harbor, and as the time went by, she knew that she just had to find out what her Uncle was really up to before it was too late...


	2. The Past Returns

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! YES, JOHN IS A SCUM BAG…JUST WAIT UNTIL LATER CHAPTERS. I REALLY WANT YOU GUYS TO HATE HIM…

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Ten years later...

The waves lapped gently around her body as she pulled herself up onto her board. The sun was shining brightly, and for the first time in the past year, Tori didn't have to worry about a sudden alien attack.

She and her fellow rangers had defeated their foe, Lothor, and were now reaping the rewards of their long fought battle. Her eyes wandered the shores ahead of her and she smiled when she saw her friends scattered around the sand.

Marah and Kapri were sitting with Dustin and Hunter, while Shane and Cam were trying to set up a volleyball net.

One person she didn't see however was the one person she had hoped would be there... Blake.

He wasn't scheduled to leave for his motocross testing until the end of the week, but she guessed he was busy with contract signings and what not.

Her heart sank a little at that thought. In the past year, she had developed strong feelings for him, but kept herself guarded. There were things about her life that she couldn't bring herself to telling him... not yet anyway.

She had graduated from her boarding school with high honors, but her guardian and Uncle paid no attention to it. If the school hadn't sent him the letter of congratulations, John McCall wouldn't have even known Tori was finished with her studies.

Once home, Tori took it upon herself to take what money she had and move out of the manor. John had made no move to stop her, but she knew he would be looking for her eventually.

She had been at the top of her karate class at school, and her teacher had told her about the Wind Ninja Academy. As soon as she graduated and got her own place and her van, she enrolled immediately and became instant friends with Shane, Dustin, and Cam.

Then Hunter and Blake had come along, and she felt things stirring inside of her that she desperately wanted to get out. But then Lothor, and now Factory Blue prevented all that from happening.

"Hey Tor! You alright out there!"

Tori shook her head clear and saw Shane shouting from the beach. She quickly adjusted herself and caught a wave to her friends.

Kapri leaned over to Hunter. "Is it just me, or has Tori been acting a little weird lately?"

Hunter sighed. "I think it has something to do with Blake... he's been acting a little off too."

"Why doesn't Blake just say 'no' to this Roger Hannah guy and stay here?" Marah asked.

"Because it's something he always wanted to do," Hunter said. "And our parents hoped one of us would make it big someday."

Dustin placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and Hunter silently sent him his thanks for the gesture.

Tori jogged up the sand to her friends and stuck her board in the ground, taking a seat between Cam and Shane. The friends sat on the sand and enjoyed their day, not realizing that someone was watching all of them from a nearby SUV.

As the sun began to set, everyone began to leave and before they knew it, Tori and Shane were the last ones there.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Shane asked as Tori picked up her board.

"Yeah. I mean the waves are awesome right now. The swell's perfect... please Shane? Just a few runs?"

Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair. They had all promised that Tori wouldn't surf without a buddy.

"Alright, hurry up. I have to get back to the academy. Porter's supposed to call." Tori grinned and ran into the water.

As she swam out, Shane felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled.

"Guess I missed the party," Blake said as he stood next to his former leader. He looked at the water and saw Tori catch a wave.

The sun was setting behind her and he thought she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. She had consumed his thoughts for the past few days. Ever since they had defeated Lothor and he had accepted racing for Factory Blue, he couldn't shake the feeling that he shouldn't leave her.

He loved her; there was nothing else to it. After he had betrayed her and seen the hurt in her eyes, hurt that he caused, he knew that he loved her and never wanted to cause her that kind of pain ever again.

"Dude, where've you been all day?" Shane asked.

"Going over paperwork with the Factory Blue guys. They have me signed to a year contract, then after the finals, they could either sign me for longer or let me go," he said almost in a trance.

Shane noticed his strangeness and then saw the look he was giving the girl in blue on the water.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" he asked. Blake nodded. "Would you mind staying here until Tori's done? I promised her I'd stay, but I really need to be getting back."

"Sure. I really don't have anywhere else to be... plus I need to talk to her about something."

Shane smirked. "Just make sure you don't break her heart, Blake." Shane got closer to him. "Or we'll have to break your legs."

Blake knew that Shane was only half joking... wasn't he? Shane pat his shoulder and walked away.

Out on the water, Tori caught the best wave of the day and rode it all the way into shore. What she saw as she walked back to her stuff made her cheeks blush slightly.

Blake had to swallow as he saw Tori trot up the beach in a bikini top and shorts.

"Hey... what are you doing here?" Tori asked as she grabbed a towel.

Blake smiled. "I thought you guys would still be here, so I figured I'd see what was left from the party."

Tori smiled genuinely at him. "I'm glad you decided to show... did Shane head back?" Blake nodded his head.

"Yeah he did... so I decided to stay and watch you," he said as he sat down. He motioned for Tori to sit next to him and she did.

Blake then explained where he had been all day, and she gave him her best smile. She really didn't want him to leave right away, seeing as they finally had time to get to know each other the right way.

"That's awesome Blake," she said softly. "I bet you'll do great."

After a few moments, Tori began to shiver slightly as the winds picked up. Blake saw this and took his light jacket off and slipped it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said as she looked at him. Blake looked into her blue eyes and felt himself being drawn to her.

Tori's eyes closed as she leaned in as well, meeting his lips for the first time. Their kiss was short and sweet, and both of them pulled away smiling.

"Tor, there's something I want to tell you," Blake said. Tori felt him take her hand.

Tori's eyes widened and she suddenly got very nervous, holding his hand tighter. Blake looked at her confused and then felt the presence of someone behind him.

He looked, and sure enough, there was a tall Hispanic man dressed in a black suit. Blake immediately got to his feet with Tori right behind him. She kept a tight hold on his hand, and he held her behind him, protecting her from this new person.

The man looked at Tori and gave her a sad smile. "Victoria," he simply said.

"Max," she replied. Blake shot death glares at Max.

"You know this guy?" Blake asked as he continued to stare at him. Tori nodded and made her way to stand beside him.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"Your Uncle has more people around here than you think... it's time to go home," Max said.

Blake felt Tori freeze up slightly. He turned to her and looked into her eyes. What he saw there made his blood run cold... fear. "You don't have to go with this guy, Tor. Come back home with me."

Tori put her arms around his neck, catching him by surprise, but he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Listen... you need to tell Shane and Dustin about this. They'll fill you in," she whispered. "But I have to go... please don't ask questions right now."

"Victoria, let's go," Max said a little sterner. Tori released Blake and went with Max.

As they walked away towards the SUV, Blake was in a bit of shock, but he had to find out what was going on...


	3. Trapped

Dustin was cleaning his living quarters at the academy when he heard Blake calling frantically for him and Shane.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Dustin asked as Blake came in breathlessly.

"Who's Max?" Blake asked. It was then that Shane came in and saw the raw emotion in his eyes.

"Dude, I figured Tori would be with you," he said as he joined Dustin.

"I was but then this Max guy showed up and said that she needed to go home." Dustin and Shane's faces fell. "He said something about her Uncle having people everywhere... what the hell is going on and where did he take her?"

"I think, you're going to want to sit down," Cam said as he entered the room. He had heard the commotion from his quarters.

"I don't want to sit down Cam... damn it! What's going on!" he said frustrated.

Shane then proceeded to tell Blake about Tori's family. Throughout the whole story, Blake could only stare at the wall; half in shock, and half in fear of what would happen to her.

"Then after school, she came here," Cam finished.

"So what does he want with her?" Bake asked as he came back to reality.

"Well, when Tori's dad died he left everything to her but she can't get the full inheritance until she turns 21," Dustin explained.

"So he's holding her captive until then? That's like six months from now! We have to get her out," Blake said with anger in his voice.

"Not so fast," Cam said. "Her Uncle's been milking the money he has over the years. Bodyguards, assassins, you name it. That Max guy is Tori's bodyguard, and I'm guessing he told John about you."

Blake put his head in his hands. "This is nuts!"

"He won't hurt her," Dustin said.

"Not right away," Shane put in. "You remember what Tor said about her Aunt's accident?"

Dustin sighed. "The break lines were cut in her car..."

That did it. Cam, Blake, Dustin and Shane all realized that their female teammate was in more danger than they had thought. They all walked out to the academy grounds and went to get Hunter...

Meanwhile, Tori sat in the backseat of the SUV while Max drove through the gates that led up to the Hanson Manor. The road looked the same to Tori as it did ten years ago and she felt tears begin to form in her eyes.

"Victoria, please don't cry. You know how he gets," Max said gently. Tori had known him for most of her life and knew that he was only looking out for her.

"Thanks Max... could you do me a favor?" she asked. Max nodded. "Could you call me Tori?"

"I don't know how your Uncle would feel about that."

"I really don't care about what he thinks Max," she said as she composed herself. "I hope he knows that he's not going to do to me what he did to Ellie."

Max was stunned, and realized that this wasn't the same little girl he had known ten years ago. Tori had grown up into a self assertive, strong young woman.

"I'd advise you to keep quiet about Mrs. McCall."

"You mean Ms. Hanson."

Max slammed the breaks on the car, causing Tori to fly towards the front of the car. "Listen Victoria, your Uncle is a very powerful man and I would hate to see what he would do to you if he heard you talking like that."

Tori repositioned herself and took a deep breath. She would get through this, just like she always had. She had learned, in more ways than one, how to defend herself and she would put all her tactics to use if necessary. She wouldn't be kept a prisoner.

"We're here," Max said.

Tori looked out the window and saw the place of her childhood... The Hanson Manor. The house was only two floors, but it was the largest house in the area. It was quite literally a mansion, but more people referred to it as a castle with its stone façade and several windows and balconies. There was a lake behind the property, and it was Tori's favorite place to be.

Growing up she had always felt like a princess waiting for the day when her prince would come and save her from her Uncle.

Max helped her out of the car and she hugged Blake's jacket tightly around her. 'Oh my gosh... Blake,' she thought. Her mind was consumed with him and her other friends. She hoped that he had filled them in on what was going on.

She stepped out of the car and watched as the large double doors opened to reveal the man Tori hadn't seen in several years...

"Welcome home Victoria," John said as he gave her a fake smile.

Tori just gave him a blank stare. "John," she said as she entered the house. Her eyes wandered the entryway and she saw that the pictures of her family members had been removed and replaced by expensive pieces of art.

"Do you like what I've done with the place?" he asked as he stood next to her.

Tori backed away and made her way towards the stairs. "How did you find me?" she asked.

John ignored her question. "I bought this one in Paris... pity you couldn't come with me."

"You shipped me off to that school John, and you know it."

"Don't you take that tone with me Victoria," he threatened as he walked towards her. "You will go to your suite and change out of those horrible clothes."

"I will go and do whatever I please in MY house," she retorted.

John was about to raise his hand to her when they both heard Tori's cell phone ringing. Tori reached into her pocket and saw Blake's name on the caller ID. She went to answer it when John took it out of her hand.

"Unless you want something to happen to your little friends I've been told about you'll listen to me."

Tori then shut her mouth and stared down her Uncle. "You can't keep me locked here forever."

"Not forever, but until I say, understood?"

Tori composed herself and walked up the grand staircase towards the back of the house. She could feel his stare on her and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

When she was out of sight, Max entered the house and stood by John. John handed him Tori's cell phone.

"I want a guard at her door and I want this number tracked down as well as the others in here," he said to Max. "Make sure she's never alone. I can't chance her taking off."

Max nodded and watched as his boss left the parlor. Inside of his mind, his brain was tugging him one way, but his common sense was pulling him in another...


	4. Home Sweet Home

Tori paused outside of her doors. Her suite had belonged to her Aunt Ellie when she was younger and being there brought back instant memories.

The long hallway was set apart from the rest of the house, and for that she was thankful. The last thing she needed was to run into her Uncle.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she pushed the doors open. The first thing she saw was a small stone table in the center of the hallway. She walked passed it and shut the doors behind her.

Nothing had been touched since she last left. When she reached the end of the hall, the room opened up to a sitting area with a fireplace. Off to the right was her bedroom, and to her left was her bathroom and walk-in closet.

The entire space was done in soft blues and whites with dark blue and silver accents. Two huge bay windows were in the sitting room and she went to one.

She could see the dirt path that led to the lake and she smiled. A knock came to her door then and she called them in.

"Tori," Max said as he entered. Tori sank onto her couch and sighed.

"Why is he doing this to me?" she asked as her walls began breaking. Max closed the doors and sat next to her.

"We both know why he's doing this, and you know what he'll do if you disobey him," he said gently. "This is hard for me too, you know."

Tori pat his leg. "I know, and I'm sorry I was giving you a hard time back there." Max shook it off and pulled something out his pocket. "Here," he said as he handed her a cell phone. "Your Uncle took the phone lines out of here and I have yours, so he'll never know."

Tori smiled at him and hugged him. "Thanks Max. This means a lot to me."

"I know it does Tori... and I want you to know that I'll help you in any way that I can."

Tori looked at him shocked. "But what about-"

"Tori, your family has always been very kind to me and I always wanted to pay homage to their memory."

Tears were now forming in her eyes and she hugged him again. "I take it that my door's being watched?" Max nodded.

"But if you want to go anywhere, I'll be with you." He stood then and left Tori. As soon as she heard the door click shut, she dialed Cam's number.

At Storm Chargers, all the guys were sitting in the alcove. "She didn't answer her phone when I called her a little while ago," Blake said as they told Hunter what was going on.

"This can't be legal," Hunter said.

"It's not," Shane put in. "But her Uncle John has the best lawyers Tori's money can buy. If we tried to go to the cops, they'd laugh in our faces."

"But we can't just let him keep her locked in there," Dustin put in. "I know he won't hurt her, but what about _after _she turns 21?"

"I don't even want to think about that," Blake said.

Cam sighed and was about to say something when his cell phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but when he answered it, he recognized the voice immediately.

"Cam, I need you to tell the guys I'm alright," Tori said.

"Guys! It's Tori!" Cam said.

"Shh... keep it down. John doesn't know I have this phone."

The guys quieted down as Cam listened to her.

"I'm alright. He hasn't done anything to me, and he said that he wouldn't. I'm under constant surveillance and I can't go anywhere without Max."

Cam listened intently to her and breathed a small sigh of relief. "What can we do Tor?" he asked.

"Cam, you know better than I do that you can't do anything... I'm going to try and get away at the end of the week-"

"You can't do that, Tor... where would you go?"

"Back to the academy. I can Ninja Streak there before he even knows I'm gone. I'm supposed to start teaching there in like a month if you remember…"

"Tor..."

"I know that tone Cameron, and don't think for one minute you're going to-"

"Tori..."

Tori paused and took a breath. "Blake? Is that you?"

Blake grabbed the phone from Cam. "Yeah it's me... listen, we want you to stay there until we can figure something out."

"I know you guys are only trying to help but-"

"Tor, we're your family...please listen to us," he pleaded.

At that Tori sank into her couch, tears brimming her eyes. "Alright... I'll wait for you guys... but Blake, I want to see you before you go."

Blake's heart sank. He had forgotten that he was leaving at the end of the week. "Tor... I'll talk to you later about that." He handed the phone back to Cam and sat on the couch stunned.

The rest of the conversation was a blur to Blake as he saw the phone passed around until Cam hung it up.

He would talk to her tonight...


	5. Surprise Visitor

Tori sat on the couch as Max brought her dinner in.

"Everything alright? You look even more distraught than you did when I left you."

Tori looked at the food and sighed. "I talked to my friends after you left..."

"Was one of them Blake Bradley? The boy you were with this afternoon?"

Tori looked at him stunned. "H-how do you know his name?"

"Your Uncle had me do a check on him when he saw your cell phone."

"He had you trace the numbers in there didn't he?" Max only nodded.

"Yes... Blake Bradley, Shane Clarke, Dustin Brooks, and a store called Storm Chargers. There was one number that we couldn't find."

Tori silently thanked Sensei for having the academy number well hidden. "Yeah, that was a surf shop that closed," she lied. Max didn't question her.

"Your apartment has been taken care of as well as your van," he said. "I took care of it for you."

"Thanks, Max. I really appreciate it..."

Max saw her daze out for a moment, but brought her back to attention. "I can see that you took up surfing since last I saw you."

Tori smiled. "Yeah. During school we'd go to the beach and I picked it up."

"Maybe I'll have to accompany you to the beach so you can keep up with it."

Tori looked at him shocked. "You...you would do that? But what would-"

"John will say nothing as long as I'm there, but Tori you have to understand. If anything at all seems fishy to me, I'll have to bring you back."

"I know Max... thank you." Max left then and Tori couldn't bring herself to eat.

Blake was on her mind and she wasn't about to get rid of him. He had said he wanted to tell her something before they were interrupted and she couldn't help but wonder what that was.

'He said he'd talk to me later,' she thought as she picked up a carrot stick and began munching. 'I wonder what time he'll call?'

She pulled her knees up to her chest and finished her snack. Blake was leaving within the week and she was literally trapped. The tears began and for the first time all day she let her emotions take over. The tears cascaded down her cheeks and she sobbed lightly.

It was at that moment, when she realized that she might never see him again; that she knew that she had fallen in love with him.

'I just wish I could have seen him...'

A crack of thunder brought her back to her senses and she nearly jumped. She looked out the window and saw that the sky was in fact overcast, and rain had begun to fall. Lightning struck and another thunderclap sounded.

But there was another sound that made her heartbeat increase... light tapping on her balcony doors.

Carefully, she stood and made her way to the glass doors. Lightning struck again and the lights flickered and then went out.

"Great," she muttered to herself. The tapping increased and she took a deep breath, preparing to defend herself against whoever was out there. She grabbed the handles on the door and thrust them open, screaming as she flipped the intruder over and onto the floor.

She placed her knee on the intruder's chest and balled her fist, ready to strike.

"Tor... it's... me."

Tori retracted her fist and gasped when lightning illuminated the room, revealing the object of her thoughts. "Blake? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came... to talk... to you," he got out. "Could you maybe...get off me?"

Tori immediately was off of him and helping him to his feet. "Oh my-"

"Victoria?" Max said from outside her door. Tori shoved Blake back down and ran to her door. "Are you alright in there? I heard screaming."

Tori opened the door. "Yeah, I'm fine. The lights went out and I kinda freaked." Max handed her a bag filled with candles and a few flashlights. "Thanks. I'll be fine... goodnight Max," she said quickly. Max gave her a quizzical look, but left her anyway.

As soon as the door was shut, Tori ran back to Blake, who was still on the floor.

"Is it alright to get up now?" he asked. Tori placed some candles on the table and lit them.

"Yes it's alright. I'm sorry I shoved you down but..."

"Bodyguard, right?" he asked as he walked over to her. Tori could only nod her head as she saw his water soaked body glistening in the candlelight. He shivered slightly and she snapped back to reality.

"Oh my gosh, you must be freezing," she said as she grabbed a flashlight and went to her closet. Blake just smiled as he looked around the dimly lit room. The place was huge from what he could see, and very well kept.

"Blake?" Tori said as she emerged from her closet. "I found some dry clothes I think will fit you."

Blake took the navy sweatpants and white long sleeve t-shirt. "Thanks. I'll have to wait until these dry," he said as he walked towards what he guessed was her bathroom.

As Blake changed, Tori closed her balcony doors and began a fire in the fireplace. Blake emerged from the bathroom and saw that she had lit a few more candles as well. He placed his wet clothes over the screen on the fireplace to dry, and sat down on the couch with Tori following him.

"What the hell possessed you to come here? Did anyone see you?" she asked.

Blake took her hand in his. "I had to see you and make sure you were alright, and no one saw me."

"What about the others?"

"They don't know I'm here, but I told Hunter I was going to talk to you... I bet he figured it out though," he said laughing a little.

"Yeah... well, I'm glad you came but I wish you hadn't."

"Why not?"

"Because, Blake... I can't stand to have anything happen to you because you came here," she said as she hung her head.

Blake sighed and took her face in both of his hands, making her look at him. "Tori, nothing could have stopped me from coming here to see you."

She leaned in and kissed him like she had done the first time that day. It was so pure and full of emotion that they both knew it was always meant to be this way.

Tori clung to him and he to her as the fire roared inside, and the storm raged outside. "What are we going to do?" she asked softly.

"I'm going to reschedule my deal with Roger Hannah. You're more important to me than riding a bike."

"Can you do that?"

"I still have some papers to sign. I'm sure everything will work out."

They settled into the couch and lay in each others arms.


	6. Leaving

Morning dawned and John sat at his desk, looking over the copy of his brother-in-law's will again.

There was no possible way he was going to get the estate unless Tori was out of the picture completely.

'Getting rid of my sweet Ellie was easy enough,' he thought to himself. 'This one will be a welcomed challenge.'

He pushed a button on his intercom. "Harold, I want you to get me in contact with our man in the sports industry," he said.

A sick smirk was on his face as he leaned back in his chair. From what he had been told, Tori was VERY attached to this Blake Bradley guy and he was going to make sure he wouldn't be a problem…

Upstairs, Tori woke up in her bed…alone.

'How did I get here?' she wondered as she looked around. The fire and candles were long burnt out and Blake's clothes from the night before were missing. Her clothes that she had leant him were folded and sitting on the couch.

Sighing, she got up and walked over to the couch where a small note was left.

'Leaving was hard for me to do, but hopefully when all this is over I won't have to leave you again … Blake'

She smiled a little to herself and gazed out the window. The sun was bright and the winds were giving promise for an awesome day of waves.

The thought of the water made her take a step back.

She was a water ninja now. She had a great job ahead of her and now because of her greed-crazed uncle, she was being kept from her life.

Walking around her spacious room, she saw the few pictures she had remaining. One of her father sitting in his office, looking every bit the kind businessman that he was. He had been developing plans for the new Blue Bay Harbor Orphanage when he fell ill.

The doctor's told her that he had been sick for some time and chose to ignore it. His body just couldn't hold on and he passed. Tori believed that he had died due to a broken heart over the death of Joanna, and she thought it bittersweet that their love had been his downfall.

He loved so many things and his body just couldn't compensate.

Her eyes wandered to her Aunt Ellie's photo and she traced it with her hand. Her mother figure was everything to her growing up. She knew that John had caused her death, but she had no proof.

The photo next to it was of her mother. Her blonde hair and ocean blue eyes were the exact same as Tori's. She was sitting by the lake smiling for the camera… she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

The water, it was said, was always something Joanna had a fondness for, and Tori knew that she definitely shared more than looks with her.

"Miss Victoria?" a voice came from the hall.

Tori straightened herself out and opened her door to find another one of her Uncle's hired goons.

"Mr. McCall would like to see you as soon as you're ready."

Tori sighed and thanked him as he shut the door. She knew that he was standing out there waiting for her to emerge.

'Great. Just what I want to do first thing in the morning,' she thought to herself as she took a quick shower and headed down the winding hallways and stairs to her Uncle's office. It had once been her father's study, and she couldn't help but shudder as she entered the room.

John looked up and motioned for her to sit. Tori sat in the leather chair and crossed her legs. She would get out of here and she was about to let him know it.

"Victoria, I just thought I'd see how you were getting along… and also to let you know how things will be around here. You left in a bit of a huff yesterday," he said.

Tori smirked. "I know what you want from me and I'm not going to give it to you."

John just smiled. "Well then I guess I'll worry about that when the time comes." He picked up some paperwork and looked it over. "I'm sure you found you're room as you left it." Tori nodded and wondered why he was beating around the bush.

"John, can we just get to the point? I know you didn't call me here for small talk."

John smiled. He knew Tori was a smart girl… too smart.

"Well since you want to get down to business," he said as he handed her a few papers.

Tori looked them over and her eyes widened.

'EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY- ALL FACTORY BLUE RIDERS ARE TO REPORT TO HOUSTON'

Tori didn't read the rest and slammed the papers back down on his desk. "I don't know what you're trying to pull here-"

"Oh but I think you do. You see with your little boyfriend out of the picture you have no choice but to listen to me." Tori just stared at him in disbelief. "I have eyes everywhere and I can make people do exactly what I want when I want."

"You do realize that if you keep me locked up here people will get suspicious. I do have a job and a place of my own," she retorted.

"That's exactly why you're free to leave whenever you want, but remember Victoria, I can make things happen."

Tori stood up from her chair and walked out. John just grinned wickedly to himself.

The moment she reached her suite, she locked to door and tore off her street clothes, revealing her ninja uniform.

She threw the doors to her balcony open and streaked away in a flash of blue light.

At the Wind Ninja Academy Shane, Dustin, and Cam were training in the woods when streaks of Crimson and Navy flew into their vision.

Blake was fuming. He had received the notice that he was to leave right away, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had been threatened with a lawsuit for breach of contract and he knew there was no way he could go through all that.

Shane took the paper from him and clenched his fist. "I bet McCall had something to do with this."

"I bet you're right," Hunter said. "I hate to say this guys, but I think we're in over our heads here."

Blake punched a nearby tree. "Dude, you need to chill," Dustin said. "I mean, it's a year."

"But Tori might not have a year," Blake said as he took the paper again. "I have to leave tonight or they'll come get me."

"If he can do this sort of thing to Blake, who knows what else he's capable of?" Cam said to no one in particular.

"He claims he can do anything he wants."

All the guys turned to the new voice and were surprised to see Tori walking towards them.

Without a word Blake walked over to her and enveloped her into his arms. Tori held onto him and buried her head in his shoulder.

"He's a monster," she said as they broke away, their hands clasped.

"How are you here?" Hunter asked, happy to see her alright.

"I streaked out."

"Dude, you used your powers?" Dustin asked.

"Did anyone see you?" Cam said.

"Are you alright?" Shane asked.

Tori closed her eyes tight and Blake pulled her into his arms again and the guys backed off with their questions.

"Look guys, I'll fill you in in a bit, but could you give us a minute?" she asked when she turned back to the guys.

The four ninjas obliged, and streaked away. Once they were alone, Tori placed her arms around his neck and held him tight.

"I can't believe he went this far," she said.

Blake pulled away slightly. "How did you know?"

"He showed me the notice. I'm guessing he paid someone off to make sure you were out of the picture."

Blake hung his head a bit, but raised it when he felt Tori's hand on his cheek.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," he said.

Tori smiled weakly. "And nothing will. I know for a fact that he won't do anything to me until I turn 21…then we have to watch it."

"But I won't be able to watch out for you. Do you know how helpless that makes me feel?" he asked as he broke away. Tori could see that he was getting upset and let him vent. "To know that you're in danger and there's nothing I can do about it? God Tor, I've lost everyone I've ever loved and I won't lose you too."

They both stopped then and Blake turned back to her, shocked in his confession.

"You… you love me?" she got out. Blake walked over to her and took her hands in his.

He took a deep breath. "I have for a long time… I love you more than I ever thought I could."

Tori let out her first genuine smile in days. "Blake… I love you too," she said softly.

They met for a sweet kiss and held onto each other.

They would get through this…they just had to…

SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN GETTING THIS POSTED... I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT, AND YES, JOHN WILL GET HIS EVENTUALLY... PLEASE R&R AND YEAH FOR THE PATRIOTS! HAHAHA KEEP THE GREAT REVIEWS COMING! 


	7. Happy Birthday Tori Part I

Weeks passed by slowly for Tori as she sat by the lake watching the small ripples dance in the sunlight.

When she returned to the manor, she noticed hat Max was acting a bit strange around her, and she couldn't help but wonder what was on her bodyguard's mind.

Her mind, on the other hand, was on what to do next.

Classes at the academy were supposed to start in a few days and she was trying to figure out how to escape the confines of her home.

She idly ran her hand through the air and watched as the water in front of her moved in and out from the shore as she moved her hand back and forth.

Unknown to her, Max was standing behind her with a small smile on his face.

Tori stopped her playing when she felt someone behind her. She stood and immediately got into a defensive stance.

"Easy," Max said as he emerged. Tori stood down. "I see you've been training for some time."

Tori tried to play down her surprise. "Training?" she asked.

Max just smiled at her and motioned for him to walk with her. "Tori, even if your uncle didn't keep track of your schooling, I did."

Tori smiled at him. "So you know I did well in my karate classes," she said smiling.

"Yes I do." They walked a little more and Max got quiet again. "There's something else Tori."

They stopped and she looked at him again. "What…what else do you know?" she asked nervously.

"I know that you were accepted to another school to further your martial arts training. Your teacher called some time ago and wanted to inform me that you may be going there."

Tori swallowed hard. "What else did he tell you?"

"He just said that you had promise… is that where you were the other day? At your other school?" Tori gulped. "I went to your room and you were gone… the climb down must have been awful."

Tori let out a breath. "Yeah… that's exactly where I was… I just wanted to get everything settled for my job-" she stopped herself short when she realized what she said.

Max smiled. "So that's the job you were talking about before." Tori just nodded her head. "Well I'll talk to the boss and let him know that I'll be escorting you there and picking you up afterwards."

Tori looked at him in a bit of shock. "Are you serious?" Max nodded a bit as they walked again. "This means a lot to me Max… more than you know."

Max just kept walking, trying not to show too much emotion. "Just try not to anger him anymore Tori. Like I said before, I would hate to have something happen to you."

As they walked, Tori gained a renewed feeling of comfort coming from the man who was supposed to protect her.

They reached the house and Tori walked up to her room to let the others know what was going on.

Max went and spoke to John about Tori.

"You're not trying to pull something around here are you Max?" John questioned.

"No sir. But Tori does have a job and she needs make sure no one gets suspicious," Max replied.

John smirked. "So it's Tori now?" he asked menacingly.

Max adjusted his suit a little. "You said you wanted her to trust me, sir and she wants to be called that."

John shifted in his seat. "Very well. Keep up the good work Max."

Max left and breathed a small sigh of relief.

Over the next few days Tori was driven to the wooded entrance of the academy, where she told Max that there was no road that led to it… that wasn't a complete lie, but she wasn't about to show him to the waterfall.

Her classes were going well, and she was getting used to her routine. John, to her knowledge, had no idea what was going on. Everything went on that for the next five months and over that time, Blake had kept in touch with Tori and the others as much as he could.

He was currently in the southern California area and had a trick up his sleeve for Tori's birthday.

The others as well were trying to figure out what to do for their female companion.

"Dude, she's 21 now. I say we go to a bar," Dustin said laughing. "Can you picture Tori drunk?"

Shane and Cam laughed. "Believe me, I bet she could use a stiff drink right now," Cam said.

Shane sighed and knew that Tori's birthday wasn't going to be an overly happy one.

He didn't know how right he was. She had stayed up and waited for the clock to chime midnight the night before, and since then she had been on high alert.

A myriad of emotions came over her when she heard the final bell toll. She was now the sole heir to the Hanson estate… the estate her Uncle wanted to get his hands on.

Tears filled her eyes as she thought of her family, Blake, her friends, and finally of herself. Fear gripped her for a moment, and then anger towards her uncle for making her feel like this.

The feeling of her being watched more closely stayed with her throughout the day. Her Uncle had mysteriously been called away for the night and Max seemed to be a little nervous as he dropped her off at the woods.

Tori shook herself of her thoughts and walked through the waterfall. The grounds were surprisingly empty and she felt her skin crawl with the feeling of being watched again.

"Sensei Tori?"

Tori turned and found one of Dustin's students running towards her.

"Sensei Dustin would like you to meet him," she said.

"Meet him? Where?" she asked smiling. She knew they guys had something up their sleeves.

"He said you'd know where to find him and the other Senseis," she said. Tori smiled and headed for Ops.

The stone stairwell was dark when she made her way down the steps. She placed her hand in the ID pad and the stone wall in front of her lifted away.

"SURPRISE!"

Tori smiled and stepped back a little when she saw that Ops was decked out in blue balloons and crate paper. Her smiled broadened when she saw Shane, Dustin, Cam, Sensei, Marah, and Kapri with party hats on.

She began laughing. "You guys are the best!" she said as she enveloped them all in a hug.

"Well we have a little surprise for you," Shane said as he pointed to a small opening that led to another room.

Tori's eyes widened when she saw Hunter emerge from the shadows with a birthday cake. They all began singing and Tori's smile covered her entire face as she blew out all the candles.

She hugged Hunter as soon as the cake was set down and the party began. Marah and Kapri got a laugh when Tori opened their present; a blue bikini.

"You know, for the one that got ruined last year," Kapri said. The others all started laughing again.

"What? I thought it was a good idea," Marah said defensively. Dustin put an arm around her and they all smiled.

"I remember Blake's face when he saw that Kelzack! Dude it was priceless!" Hunter said.

Tori smiled sadly at the mention of his name. "Yeah," she said weakly. "I wish he could be here for this."

Shane put an arm around her shoulders and handed her a long box. She looked up at him questioningly.

"This is from all of us Tor," he said. Tori took the box and saw that all eyes were on her. There was a note attached to it. 'Happy Birthday Tor- Love Dustin, Shane, Cam, Hunter, and Blake.' With shaking hands she opened it to find a beautiful silver tennis bracelet with six gems alternating around the band- a ruby, a yellow topaz, an emerald, a darker ruby, a sapphire, and finally a blue topaz… all their colors.

"Your guys… this is…" she was at a loss for words. "Thank you," was all she could get out before tears filled her eyes. Sensei moved through the crowd and took her into a gentle hug.

The tears fell then and Sensei held her close. Over time Tori had grown to love him as a father and knew he was only trying to help.

"Though times are hard for you now Tori, know that we are all here for you as your friends," he said gently. He leaned in and whispered, "And as your family."

Tori smiled and looked back at her friends.

Yes, they were her family… if only Blake were there…


	8. Happy Birthday Tori Part II

After her classes, Tori waited for Max as usual outside the entrance, but he was late… Max was never late.

Her heart began to race suddenly and she wondered why she got this sudden feeling of unease. The sounds of a car coming down the road eased the feeling a little, but she instantly got the feeling back when she saw it wasn't the same black SUV that Max usually drove.

A blue Mustang Convertible came slowly down the road and Tori saw that Max was definitely in the driver's seat. The car pulled to a stop and Max got out of the car, dressed, as always, in his black suit.

"Max? What is this?" she asked as he walked her over to the driver's seat.

"Happy Birthday Miss Victoria," he simply said. Tori looked at him strangely. "From your Uncle."

That stopped Tori from getting into the car. She had a brief flashback from when she was ten.

She was sitting at the bottom of the grand staircase and overheard her Uncle and another man talking about Ellie's accident, and how it was anything but.

"Tori?" Max asked. "Don't you like it?"

Tori looked at the car. It was gorgeous and obviously top of the line. It had cream-colored interior and was fully loaded.

"It's great Max… but you said John gave this to me as my gift?" Max nodded his head.

"Tori, I can assure you that I did a full check and there's nothing wrong with it."

Tori looked at him and saw that there was truth in his eyes, but it was still hard for her to trust. But he had driven it here and nothing happened…

Max opened the driver's side door for her to her surprise. "It's yours and you should drive it."

Tori smiled and got in. As they drove down the streets Max gave her directions and Tori didn't question him.

"I got you something too," he said as Tori saw signs coming up for the airport.

"Let me guess, a one way ticket out of here?" she said smiling a little.

Max grinned. "No, but something I think you will enjoy." They pulled into the airport and walked towards one of the gates.

"Max, I don't understand what's going on," she said.

"You'll see," he said.

Tori looked at him skeptically and turned around when she saw people unloading from the plane.

Her heart literally stopped in her chest for a moment… coming off the ramp was the one person she had feared she would never see again. She turned to Max who was only smiling and then back to the figure walking towards her with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh, my… gosh!" she said excitedly as she ran towards him.

Blake dropped his bag and caught Tori as she jumped into his arms.

Max stood away from them and gave them their space…also to make sure no one was there looking.

Blake held onto her as if she would disappear at any moment. He had dreamed of this moment ever since he had left all those months ago.

Tori had tears in her eyes and pulled away slightly, only so she could kiss him.

Their lips met and held for what seemed like eternity.

"I missed you so much," she said as Blake placed her on the ground and kissed him again.

"I missed you too," he said.

"How did you get here? I thought-"

Blake pointed over to Max and Tori understood…

"This is amazing," she said as he grabbed his bag and they made their way over to Max. "Thank you," she said to him. Max just smiled in his quiet way and led them out of the airport.

"I don't agree with what he's doing to you Tori. I was hired to guard you no matter what, and I can't stand to see you miserable. Especially not on your birthday," he said as they found the car.

He opened the door for her again and she and Blake got in. "Aren't you coming?" she asked when he made no move to get in. Max shook his head.

"Not tonight, Tori," he said. "I have the other car here. My gift to you is what you've wanted ever since I came back in your life…freedom." Tori got out and hugged him.

"Thank you so much!" She kissed his cheek. "But what about John?"

"Mr. McCall is out of town until tomorrow afternoon… just be sure to be back at the Manor before then."

She smiled again and got into the car.

"Thank you Max," Blake said. "This really means a lot." Max smiled and sent them on their way.

As they drove, Tori couldn't stop smiling. Blake's hand never left hers and they felt like they had been separated forever.

Blake smiled when he saw her right wrist. "I see the guys gave you our gift." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming, but when Max called me-"

"Wait, Max CALLED you?"

"Yeah. He thought it would be a nice surprise."

"Well it's a good thing you guys kept it secret or else John might have found out." They drove for a little longer, just happy to be in each other's company. "So…where exactly are we going?"

Blake smiled. He had a little more up his sleeve. "I was thinking of a nice little spot on the beach." Tori smirked and thought of the one place he could have been thinking about. She pulled into the beach entrance and they got out.

The sun was setting now and Blake took her over a few dunes until they reached the spot where she had tried to teach him to surf. What surprised her though was that there was a small picnic set up for them.

"How in the world-" she began.

"Hunter knew I was coming back and helped me out," he said as they sat on the blanket.

"I saw him today and he didn't saw anything! When I get my hands on him-" But her thoughts flew away when he grabbed her in a passionate kiss. Tori surrendered to his touch and felt his tongue ask for passage and she granted it.

The feeling of being together was more than they could have hoped for.

Tori's hands massaged his back while he kept one hand on her cheek and the other around her waist.

Tori felt herself being lowered down to the sand and stopped. "Blake," she began.

"I'm sorry," he apologized immediately.

"No, it's not that. I just think that we should, um, wait a little longer… Max did say John was out of town tonight…"

Blake smiled and kissed her lightly. "Then I think I can wait then." They both smiled then and ate their food as the sun set fully.

When they were through, Tori sat in between his legs with his head resting on his shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear. Tori smiled and sank into his arms.

"I love you, too," she replied as she moved her head a little and met his sweet lips once again. "I think we should head back… to, um, my apartment?" she said kind of hesitantly. Blake smiled and began to gather everything up…

A few towns over, John McCall sat in a hotel room, papers splayed out in front of him. The only way to get Tori taken care of, was to cause another accident…


	9. Whole

The familiar sight of Tori's apartment came into view and she smiled happily. They walked inside and she saw that Max had kept his word. The place was exactly the same as she left it, and she could tell that there had been a cleaning service there at some point.

Blake placed his things down on the couch, but Tori picked them up and walked down a small hallway.

"Where are you taking those?" he asked as he followed her.

Tori smirked and turned to him. "Down to my room." Blake looked at her questioningly. "You didn't think I was going to let you sleep on the couch, did you?" she asked as they reached the door.

Blake smiled to himself as she opened the door. His present to her was hopefully set up already…

What met her eyes as she walked in made her tear up a little.

There was a bottle of what appeared to be champagne chilling in a bucket, and several candles lined up.

Blake walked passed her stunned figure and lit them, casting a soft glow around the room. Tori just stood there, watching him as he took the bags from her.

"This is… this is," she said in shock. Blake walked over to her and took her in his arms.

"The guys helped me a little…just in case we should come back here," he said. "This is your birthday gift from me," he said as he kissed her lightly. He pulled away and took something out of his pocket. "And so is this," he said as he opened the box for her to see the contents.

"Blake… it's beautiful," she said as she took the ring out of the box. It was a very thin white gold band embedded with alternating diamonds and sapphires all the way around it. Blake took it from her and carefully slipped it on her right ring finger; it fit perfectly.

"I wanted you to have this," he said softly. Tori looked up and saw that there were unshed tears shining in his eyes. "It belonged to my mom."

Tori looked up to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"I'll treasure it forever," she said softly as they broke apart a little. Blake could only smile as he poured them each a glass of champagne.

They sat down on the bed and enjoyed the feeling of being close. When their glasses were drained, Blake stood and took her in his arms.

"Tor, I'm only here for tonight… I have a flight out tomorrow at noon," he said sadly, almost desperately.

Hearing the tone in his voice, she knew the silent question he was asking…

"Then we better make the most of it," she replied as she kissed him.

Blake breathed a soft sigh of relief and took her face in his hands. He laid feather-light kisses on her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally her lips.

Tori's eyes closed slightly and she smiled into the kiss. "Blake," she said as he trailed his hands down to her waist. "I could never imagine myself doing this with anyone but you," she whispered.

Blake smiled. "I never have before, and I don't ever plan on doing this with anyone but you ever… I love you more than anything."

The revelation in their words took some of the pressure away from them and they both smiled as they kissed again.

Tori's hands worked on his button down shirt until all the buttons were undone. She slid the garment off as he lifted hers over her head. A small rush of coldness hit them both and they held each other tightly.

Blake kissed her shoulder blade and she let out a sigh of pleasure. In return, she trailed her fingers lightly down his chiseled stomach and he sighed in satisfaction.

Their hands found each other's pants, and soon those articles were removed. Their lips never left each other and Blake reached around to unclasp her bra. It was tossed away and then their undergarments followed. Both of them stood back a little, admiring the sight before them.

Blake reached to her chest and began massaging her breasts, his lips following them.

Tori closed her eyes at the hot pleasure she was feeling, and almost instinctively she leaned in closer to him, causing his pelvis to brush against her.

"Tor," he breathed when he felt himself close to her. They both made their way over to the bed and lay down. Blake laid himself on top of her and stared into her deep blue eyes.

Tori's hands massaged his shoulders as they continued to kiss gently. His hands reached down to her center and he carefully probed her, while Tori placed her hand around his erection.

After a few moments neither of them could stand the sweet torture any longer.

They looked into each other's eyes as Blake slowly entered her. Tori felt an initial pain and arched her back, whimpering slightly.

Blake entwined his hand in her hair and kissed her. The pain subsided and Tori felt him enter her completely.

Their motions were fluid and truly loving as they continued to make love long into the night. Their climaxes came at the same time, causing Blake to cover her like a warm blanket.

Tears fell from Tori's eyes and Blake brushed them away with his thumbs.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked concerned. Tori sniffed slightly and shook her head.

"No," she said as she smiled. "I just never knew it could be this way." Blake reluctantly pulled out of her, causing them both to sigh a little. Blake laid on his back, while Tori placed her head on his chest; their arms wrapped around each other as they got under the covers.

Blake kissed her temple. "I know what you mean," he whispered.

"But it can't last," she said as more tears threatened to fall. Blake pulled her up to meet his eyes.

"It will if we want it to," he said. "I'll be back here as fast as I can and then we can be together." They kissed lightly and Tori settled into his embrace.

"I just wish we could stay like this," she said.

"We can," he said softly. "Tonight we can." They kissed again, and for the first time in many months, they both felt whole again.


	10. The Day After

The sun was just peaking over the horizon as Blake stared out the window. A light breeze came through and he felt Tori stir at his side. He held her closer and kissed her temple.

Last night was more than he had ever hoped for. The feeling of having her so close to him, having her as close to him as humanly possible, made his leaving harder to do. Each time that they had made love that night was more tender and loving than the last, and Blake feared that it would never be like this ever again.

The guys had kept him somewhat posted on what was going on between her and John. Now that she was 21, she was in more danger than ever before. Something had to be done, but he wasn't sure how he could help since he wasn't in a position to do anything.

The figure in his arms moved slightly and opened her clear blue eyes to meet his.

Tori saw the look in his eyes and placed her hand on his cheek. She saw the fear, the hurt, and the pain in those brown orbs and it made her heart ache.

"Don't worry about me," she said softly as she kissed his chest. Blake took her hand and brought it to his lips; his mother's ring shining in the new day's light.

"I love you more than life Tor. I can't leave you when I know you're in danger."

Tori propped herself up and kissed him deeply. "If anything at all seems suspicious, I promise you that I'll get as far away as I can."

"I'll be in Chicago for another two weeks, then in Charlotte. If you need me for anything-"

"I'll turn to you before anyone else. I promise."

Blake gathered her in his arms and made love to her for the final time before he had to leave.

Afterwards, while Blake was getting ready, Tori walked over to her window and finished getting dressed. She knew that today would be interesting when she saw John. She was the age he needed her to be now…

Blake emerged a few minutes later and, hand in hand, they left for the airport.

While the two lovers said their farewells, John was in his limo on the phone.

"When I give the word, I want it done. No slip ups," he said.

The person on the other end agreed. "I'll be waiting for you order, sir." John hung up the phone with a look of satisfaction on his face. 'You'll never know what hit you Victoria,' he thought to himself as the car pulled into the Hanson driveway.

He saw Tori's new car parked out front and grinned as he exited his vehicle.

Tori was sitting in the kitchen eating a small lunch when he approached her. A sickening feeling entered her stomach as he smiled at her.

"Did you receive my gift?" he asked.

Tori nodded. "Yes I did… thank you," she said as she took her plate to the sink.

"You know we have servants for that," he said.

Tori just turned to him. "I have manners John," she said as she walked back to the living room. John walked right behind her.

"Victoria, we need to talk. In my study perhaps?"

"You mean my father's library."

John sneered. "My office, now." Tori saw something in him change at that moment, and she wondered if she should just run, or actually listen to him.

She decided on the latter and followed him in. She entered first with John close behind her. She sat in the chair across from the desk and he sat behind it.

He handed her a large envelope with her name clearly sketched on it. She recognized it as her father's attorney's handwriting.

"Inside that envelope you will find your inheritance written out clearly. Everything, as of midnight yesterday, is yours."

Tori opened the envelope and read the large packet. It was finally happening. Everything was hers…

"All you have to do is sign it, accepting," he said as he handed her another packet.

"What's this?" she asked. John handed her a pen.

"This hands over everything to me," he said as he stood.

Tori just looked at him and laughed a little. "Are you serious? Why would I do that?"

"To save me the trouble of having you taken out." Tori stared at him and wondered if he was serious. "It's a very dirty job that would cost me too much money to cover up."

"You're insane," she said as she watched him walk around the desk to face her.

"I'm realistic. You're nothing without money and power. By you signing that I'll finally have both."

"I'll never let you get a hold of the estate. You're an embarrassment to this family."

John's hand flew fast and struck her on her right cheek. Tori was shocked, but not hurt. She turned to face him and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"You'll have to kill me first, UNCLE." She took both papers from his desk and was about to leave when he grabbed her wrist.

"Remember this Victoria. I can make things happen, not only to you. Think about THAT before you do anything rash."

Tori jerked away from him and ran out the front door to her car where Max was standing guard. He saw her coming and was about to stop her.

"Max, I'm not in a very good mood right now. I'll be at my apartment if you need me. Please don't ask." She got into her convertible and sped down the streets of Blue Bay Harbor.

It didn't take her long to reach her destination; the academy. Once there, she took the papers, tore off her street clothes and walked through the waterfall.

Sensei sensed her coming and his brows furrowed in concern. He knew something had happened.

"Tori?" he asked when he saw her coming up the main building steps. "I would have thought you were taking today off. I heard Blake was here."

Tori bowed to him. "He was, but he had to leave this morning." She calmed down somewhat. "Are the guys in class still? There's something I need to talk to you all about; Hunter too."

Sensei led her inside and they waiting a few moments until Dustin, Cam, and Shane all entered. Upon seeing Tori, they all knew something was wrong.

Tori then told them what had transpired between John and her. She placed the papers on the table and sighed. "And he told me that he could make things happen, not just to me." She looked at her friends and saw that they were all staring off into space. "I'm so sorry you guys," she said as she lowered her head.

Dustin placed an arm around her and hugged her. "It's okay Tor. We'll get through this like we always do."

"I need to call Hunter and warn him," she said as she got up. Then she stopped and a sheer look of terror passed over her.

"Tor?" Shane asked. "What's wrong?"

"Oh my god… he's not going after you guys…he's going after Blake…"


	11. Accidents

Blake had arrived in Chicago on schedule and hurried to grab a taxi to the track. He hadn't told Tori that he had a race to get to. He didn't want to ruin his time with her. He found a ride and got in.

Within a matter of minutes he was at the track and in his trailer prepping for his race within the hour. Unknown to him, a man was outside of his trailer awaiting orders.

In Blue Bay Harbor, Tori drove as fast as she could back to the manor. John was inside seething.

He took his phone and placed a call. The man on the other end picked up. "Do it now," John said. The man on the other end hung up.

John hung up his phone as Tori stormed into his office and slammed the papers down on his desk.

"I don't know what kind of shit you're trying to pull here, but if you lay one hand on him-"

John laughed and turned his back to her. "So you figured out my little plan?" he asked.

Tori took her acceptance papers and a pen. She signed it and held it out in front of her. "Your plan isn't going to work. You see this? That means that all this is MINE. I want you out of my house and off my property before I call the police."

John turned to her and reached his hand into his pocket. Tori suddenly felt her blood run cold as he withdrew a small handgun.

"Shut up and sit down," he said as he moved the gun towards the chair. Tori kept her calm and did as he asked. He kept the gun pointed to her as he turned on a small television set. "You made a big mistake Victoria. One that I'm determined to remedy."

Tori watched as a motocross race came on the screen. A live scene of Chicago was shown and Tori felt nauseous. The riders were lined up and Tori saw the unmistakable number 08 and a rider dressed in navy.

"I told you not to play around," John said as he saw her face color drain as Blake took the lead, only to have his front wheel come loose… Blake tumbled over more times than Tori could count. When the bike finally came to rest, Blake lay in a heap unconscious.

"NO!" she cried as she got up; tears streaming down her cheeks. She made a move for the door, but then she heard the click ofthe gun.

"Not so fast," he said. "Make one more move and I'll shoot."

Tori was too blinded by rage and anger that she did the unthinkable…

She turned to him and circled her arms in front of her. She brought her hands back to her chest and fired the power of water at him.

John fell back and hit the ground groaning.

"You can't do this to me! I won't let you!" she cried as she ran out. 'I'm coming Blake,' she thought as she streaked to the academy.

John slowly came to and got up. Steam was coming out of his ears. Tori was obviously hiding something from him. The amount of power she had used on him… it could come in handy…

"Max!" he screamed. Max came running in and saw John on the floor; a gun by his hand.

"Boss, what happened?" he asked as he helped him up.

John was furious. "Find her and bring her to the warehouse," he said. Max saw his face contort into a sick smile. "Get the boys and find her now!"

Max was stunned. He knew what happened at the warehouse… He nodded and left the room. He knew what he had to do.

Tori touched down at the academy and collapsed as she ran through the waterfall.

"Sensei Tori!" she heard a student cry. Soon the student was at her side. "Are you alright?"

Sobs wracked her body and the student was in shock. "Sensei Shane!" he yelled. Moments later Shane streaked over and took the shaking water ninja in his arms. "Is she going to be alright?"

Shane nodded and dismissed the student. Tori clung to him and cried her heart out. "Blake, Shane he sabotaged his bike!" Shane helped her to stand as Dustin and Cam came running over.

"Dude, Hunter just called," Dustin said. They saw Tori's state and knew they had to get her out of sight. Carefully and quickly they took her down to Ops.

"It was John. I know it was," she said after a few minutes. Cam handed her a glass of water.

"What else did he do? You looked kind of shaken up," Cam said.

Tori took a deep breath. "When I got back to the manor, I went into his office," she paused then and recalled the look in his eyes. "I went in and told him I knew he was going to hurt Blake… I sighed the papers in front of him and told him to get out of my house. Then he…"

She stopped and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Then he… he took out a gun and-" she had to stop as the tears came again. "He turned on the TV and told me to watch… I saw Blake fall."

Dustin hugged her shoulders and she shrugged him off.

"I did something… something that could mean trouble," she sobbed.

"It's okay Tor," Cam said. "Whatever you did was for your own safety."

"Even using my powers?"

Everyone was silent. The only sound was her silent sobs.

"You are not at fault Tori." Everyone turned and saw Sensei coming down the stairs.

Tori turned to him and stood. "I'm so sorry Sensei, but I was so upset. I never meant to-" He silenced her with his hand.

"While I do not condone what you did, you're life was in danger. The way of the ninja is to protect, and you were only trying to protect yourself."

Tori sighed and sat on her pillow. "I don't know what to do you guys," she said as she put her head in her hands. "I have to get to Blake."

"Hunter called and said that he was unconscious when they took him off the track," Dustin said. "He's on his way there right now and he'll call."

"I have to go to the police. That's the only way," Tori said.

"But Tor, you said it yourself. John has eyes everywhere," Shane said gently.

"This can't keep happening. He's not going to stop until everyone I love is taken away from me."

"We'll go with you. Back to the manor," Cam said. "I'm not letting you go back there alone."

Tori smiled. Shane and Dustin nodded their heads in agreement. "We have to get in and get my papers. If we do that and go to my father's attorney, we can press charges against him and maybe get him away," she said.

With their minds set, they made their way off the grounds with Tori leading. She stepped through the portal and walked the path towards her car.

The guys were a few hundred feet behind her and she finally let out a breath. Everything was going to be alright as long as her boys were with her.

As she saw her car, she saw another one behind it- a black SUV.

A cloth covered her mouth and strong arms held her against a broad chest.

"I'm sorry Tori."

Tori's eyes widened when she recognized Max's voice, but her vision became blurry and she passed out.


	12. John's End

Tori slowly began to come to. She was sitting in a chair with her arms bound behind her, and her legs tied to the legs of the chair as well. Her eyes came to focus and she saw that she was in a large room illuminated by one light that was hanging above her head.

Her heart began to race and she could feel herself loosing control. 'No,' she told herself. 'You can pull through this.' She carefully got her wits about her and calmed herself.

"You brought this all on yourself Victoria."

Her eyes focused on the man approaching her and she instantly felt her blood boil.

"John, if you let me go and leave me alone I'll give you anything you want. Name your price, just leave me and my friends alone," she said as he came into the light; the gun in his hands.

John pointed it at her and clicked a bullet into place. "You miss the point Victoria. It's not the money that's important here. It's the name, the power, and the authority I have over this town."

Tori let a tear roll down her cheek as he moved closer and stood right next to her ear with the gun to her head.

"I saw what you did back at the Manor. I must say I'm impressed with the power you have and I'm beginning to think you could be a threat to me after all." He circled her and kept the gun to her. "You're not the same little brat I shipped away all those years ago. I can see you've grown up."

Tori followed him with her eyes and attempted to concentrate on his gun, possibly getting it away from him long enough for her to get out. She twisted her hands behind her as he stopped and pointed the gun right at her forehead.

"With you finally gone I can have it all… it'll be easy to cover this one up. Much easier than it was with your dear Aunt Elanor."

Tori's eyes widened.

"Yes, I planned to have her car tampered with. Not to mention the little accident your boyfriend had. I've been told he's in the intensive care unit and that he's in very bad shape."

Tori made her face stern and tried not to cry, but the tears fell anyway. She was beyond furious with him.

"So this was your plan? To destroy everyone I love and then make me suffer?" she asked as she continued to twist her hands…

"Making you suffer was just an added bonus," he said. "But now it's all over and you'll never have to worry about me again," he said as he took aim at her. "Goodbye."

"Freeze!"

John turned his head, giving Tori enough time to wiggle the last bit of rope off of her hands. She got her legs free as well just as she heard a buzzing noise and all of the lights in the warehouse came on.

What met her eyes made her stare in amazement. There were police officers in front of where John was standing with the gun in his hands. What surprised her the most was that at the head of the officers was Max.

"John McCall you are under arrest," one of the officers said. John just grinned and turned to where Tori was now standing.

He grabbed her to him and held her against his chest with the gun to her head. "One move and I'll shoot," he threatened.

The officers kept their guns on him.

"Max?" he asked of his employee. "So this is how you repay me? By betraying me?"

Max reached into his pocket and removed a badge, showing that he was, in fact, a police officer.

"John, just put the gun down and leave Tori alone," he said. John only pulled Tori closer to him.

"No! This ends now!" he shouted.

Tori knew she had to do something… Sensei's words repeated back inside of her head. 'The way of the ninja is to protect…' Her eyes closed and the officers were wondering what was happening.

Without a second thought, Tori mustered all of her strength and brought her right leg up directly in front of her, kicking John in the face and causing him to lose his grip on her.

As soon as she was free she ran to Max who enveloped her in his arms.

John stood and wiped the blood that was now coming from his lip. He realized at that moment that he was defeated.

One of the officers stepped to the front and Tori presumed he was the head of the group.

"John McCall, you are under arrest for the murder of Elanor Hanson-McCall, and the attempted murder of Blake Bradley and Tori Hanson. You have the right to remain silent…"

John didn't listen to the rest of what the officer was saying. He knew his life was over… he had let his want for greed and power consume him.

Before anyone could react, John took the gun and brought it to his head, ending his life.

Tori buried her head in Max's chest as she saw her uncle kill himself. The police officers immediately holstered their guns and called for the medics.

Max escorted Tori outside where more police were, as well as an ambulance.

"Tori!" Shane, Dustin, Cam, Marah, Kapri, and even Sensei (dressed in normal clothes) ran over to her and Max let her go to them.

She was instantly engulfed in their arms and she finally let her tears fall onto Sensei's jacket.

Max watched the scene and felt the guilt of his actions sink in. Tori had had to suffer at the wrath of that madman for so long, but he had no choice. They didn't have enough evidence to get John.

Tori looked up and saw him standing there. She pulled away from the others and they let her pass to him.

"Tori I'm-" he began, but he was cut off by Tori throwing her arms around him.

"I know you had to do that Max," she said. "Thank you for saving my life." Max smiled a little and hugged her.

"I made a promise to your Aunt Ellie to protect you, and I would have done anything to do that," he said.

The others came over and also thanked Max for what he did. "Come on, let's get you checked out," he said.

Everyone followed her over to the ambulance and she was checked over. A few bandages and some aspirin later, she was standing between Shane and Dustin.

They watched as a stretcher with a black bag on it wheeled out of the warehouse. Tori's tearstained cheeks were hard as steel as they loaded him into another car to be taken somewhere… she really didn't care… he was gone.

"Miss Hanson?" an officer asked. Tori turned to him. "If we could, we'd like to get a statement."

Tori nodded her head. "Tori, are you sure you are all right to do this?" Sensei asked. Tori just nodded again.

"I want them to know what he did… to everyone," she said sadly as she thought of Blake. She turned to Dustin. "Do you think you could, um, call Hunter and see if everything's okay?"

Dustin nodded as he watched her walk away…

Half an hour or so later Tori returned to her friends. Kapri put her arm around her and Tori leaned into her for support. She was so tired… Marah came on the other side and supported her.

"Thanks you guys," she said.

"What did you tell him?" Marah asked.

"Everything. The way he treated me in the house, Ellie's accident, Blake's accident…" she spaced out a little after that part and the girls held her closer.

"Dustin's on the phone with Hunter right now," Kapri said. "Last time I talked to him they said that Blake woke up."

"That's a good sign," Marah said trying to lighten the atmosphere. Tori smiled a little and began to shiver.

"Come on. Let's get you back to the academy. We can talk about everything in the morning," Cam said. They all nodded and walked towards their cars where Shane and Dustin were waiting.

"Yeah… wait, dude she's right here," Shane said as he handed the phone to Tori.

"Shane!" Kapri said. "I don't think she really wants to talk right now."

"Believe me, she will," he said.

Tori took the phone from him with shaking hands. "H-hello?"

"Hey you."

Tori's hand went over her mouth and she held back what was left of her tears.

"Oh Blake…"

The others knew that things were finally starting to go their way.


	13. Reunited

Hunter looked out the window of Blake's hospital room. It was the day after Tori's encounter with John, and both he and Blake were shaken up.

Blake was recovering fine, and miraculously had escaped with no broken bones. He had however received a severe concussion, and several contusions and lacerations. The doctor's wanted to keep him in observation just to make sure his head injury wasn't anything serious.

"Hunter, you're driving me nuts," Blake said from his bed.

"Sorry, bro. I just can't stop thinking about what that asshole did to Tori… and what he did to you. If he hadn't killed himself, I would have done it for him."

"Easy, man," Blake said smiling. "I just can't get over the fact that Max was working undercover for so long."

"It's a good thing he was," Hunter said as he returned to his brother's side. "You want to walk around?"

Blake nodded and Hunter helped him to his feet. Blake was still very sore, and needed crutches to help him balance. He was told that everything would heal in time, but it was going to take another week or so.

While the Bradley's took a walk in the hall, Tori arrived at the hospital and walked through the main entrance.

"Excuse me? I'm looking for Blake Bradley," she told the receptionist.

"I can take you to him," a young woman said to Tori. "I'm Dr. Lockhart. I treated Blake when he came in."

Tori shook her hand. "I'm Tori," she told her as they got into the elevator.

"Oh, so you're the girl he won't stop talking about." Tori smiled.

"It better be me," she said jokingly. The elevator opened to the sixth level and Dr. Lockhart brought her down to the room.

When they looked inside, the room was empty. Tori looked at the doctor with a worried look on her face. "I'm sure they just went for a walk," she said as she found a nurse.

Tori sighed and turned her head towards the other end of the hallway.

What she saw sent her in that direction almost running. Slowly, Blake and Hunter were making their way down the hall towards Blake's room.

Blake looked and saw the blonde running towards him. "No way," he said softly. Hunter smiled as Tori reached them and stopped right in front of Blake.

He dropped his crutches and grabbed her in his arms. Tori wrapped hers around him, careful not to hurt him. He pulled away a little and kissed her gently.

Tori felt him leaning on her a little and welcomed his body pressed against hers.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously. "When I talked to you, you said you were going to take it easy."

"I am taking it easy. I'm taking you home," she said smiling. Blake looked at her questioningly, but Dr. Lockhart came back and helped Blake back into his room. Hunter walked with Tori and she told him her plans.

Once everyone was seated, the doctor looked over Blake's wounds.

"Well, everything here seems to be going well," she said as she marked the chart. "You should be able to go home soon."

"What would be the chances of him going home today?" Tori asked.

The doctor grinned. "Well, he would need to have a follow up nurse for at least another three days, just in case his head injury causes him to become disoriented. His bandages need to be checked daily and he'll also need occasional IV antibiotics for the pain."

"You sure don't sugar coat anything do you Abby?" Blake asked. Dr. Lockhart just nodded her head.

"You know I don't," she said.

"Would someone be able to set us up with a nurse in Blue Bay Harbor?" Tori asked. She looked at Blake. "That is if you want to go home," she said to him.

"It's very expensive," Abby said.

Tori looked at Blake's face and saw a look of longing in his eyes.

"I can afford it," she said. Abby smiled.

"I'll start the paperwork then," she said as she walked out. Hunter looked at Tori.

"You're sure about all this?" he asked.

"Hunter, what's the point of having all that money and not doing anything with it?" she asked. Hunter smiled and decided to give them some privacy.

Blake brought her hand to his lips and smiled as he kissed it. He pulled her towards him and she carefully sat with him on the bed. She traced a few of the bandages on his face and he winced a little.

"I'm sorry," she said. She leaned down and kissed one of them.

"It's okay. You keep doing that and I may have you trace all my wounds." Tori gave him a devilish look and kissed him softly.

"We're going home, Blake," she said as she placed another kiss on his lips. "I'm just sorry for what he did to you."

Blake ran his fingers along her face. "I told you I didn't care what happened to me, as long as you were safe. That's all the mattered," he said. "But now he's gone and we can start our lives together."

"What about your contract?" she asked.

"I'm not fit to race for the remainder of the season. Plus their suspending racing until this whole thing gets settled. They want to find out who messed with my bike to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Blake pulled her close and she carefully lay down next to him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a race?" she asked. Blake sighed.

"I didn't want you to think about that at the time," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I just wanted our time together to be about us."

Tori held him and sighed. "I can't say 'I'm sorry' enough," she said.

"You don't have to be sorry about anything. Tori, when I heard what he did to you, I wanted so badly to jump off this bed and pound the living shit out of him." She looked into his eyes. "No one should have to go through that. What happened to me wasn't your fault. Don't ever think it was."

Tori just snuggled against him. "I love you so much," she heard him say just before his eyes closed.

Tori smiled and felt his arm loosen around her. She got up off the bed and kissed his cheek.

"I love you too," she said as she left the room to talk with Hunter.

She found him at the desk filling out paperwork. "He fell asleep," she said.

Hunter smiled at her. "Yeah. They gave him some drugs to help with the pain." He put the papers down and hugged her. Tori was a little surprised, but hugged him back. "I want to thank you for doing this. You know, after all that you've been through."

Tori smiled. "I want to do it Hunter. I love him."

"I know Tor, and I think that's part of the reason he's recovering so fast. All he kept saying was that he wanted to get back to you and make sure you were okay."

"Well, things will be okay once we're all home where we belong."

"Are you still going to live at the Manor?"

Tori sighed a little. "I think so, but there needs to be some papers finalized before I move in."

"It's quite the house."

"Yeah, it is…" her mind began to work and she smiled. "Maybe I'll have to consider getting a roommate."

Hunter smirked and knew what she was getting at. Blake wouldn't be living at his house anymore…

Just then Abby came over with the papers. "You're all set up with the nurse. Her number's on the paper as well as Blake's discharge papers. Good luck guys."

They watched walk away and went to tell Blake the good news…


	14. New Beginnings

Three months later…

Tori drove her car up the driveway and smiled when she saw a few gardeners mowing the lawn and pruning the flowerbeds.

She parked in front of the garage and walked into her house. Everything was finally the way it should be. The walls were now plastered with the photos of her family that John had taken down, the curtains were all open, and the walls had been repainted in soft, bright colors.

John's office was turned back into a library, and also served as a trophy room. She had her surfing trophies, and a few karate ones from school. Then there were Blake's motocross trophies… Tori had had to build another section for him when he moved in with her about a month ago.

Tori's suite had been revamped into a guest area, with she and Blake taking the suite that had belonged to Tori's parents. The entire room had been gutted out and redone in shades of blue with silver and white accents.

The rest of the house was the way she had always remembered it before her Uncle had taken over. The biggest addition to the grounds was a motocross track around the lake and part of the open field next to it. A garage was back there also so Blake could practice, and also so Dustin and Hunter could come over whenever they pleased.

She walked through the large living room and saw a portrait of her mother and father that had been done before she was born. It hung over the fireplace and she couldn't help but smile at them. She had done what they wanted her to… she had upheld the name and traditions of the family and would continue to do so.

From the living room, she went through a small hallway that led to the kitchen. She smiled again as Blake's bike could be heard buzzing around the back. They had received word that the man who had tampered Blake's bike was found, and so the racing season was going to start in a month.

That thought saddened her a bit, but she knew it was what he wanted, and she knew he would be returning to her soon. Her day had been very eventful and she wanted to let him know.

She walked over to the garage and saw him take his helmet off. "Hey," he said as he quickly kissed her. "How'd it go?"

"It went great. I loved the plans and they're going to start renovations immediately," she said.

With all the money she had inherited, Tori knew what she had to do. Before her father passed, he had been heavily involved with local charities, especially the orphanage. She had decided to donate enough money for long needed renovations as well as more staff, and with her family's gift, she was able to make that possible.

"They hope to reopen in a few months, and they want to name the new wing after my father," she said.

Blake got off the bike and hugged her. "I think that's great. You've done a very good thing Tor. I know he'd be proud of you…I know I am." He kissed her again and she smiled.

"I hate it when you do that," she said smirking. Blake held her closer and kissed her again. "But you can keep doing it, I guess," she said as they kissed again.

They pulled away and finished placing everything in the garage. They began walking back to the house and Blake held her hand in his. Things were turning out the way they were always meant to, and he prayed that things would stay the same once he began racing again.

Deep down he knew they would be and that's what kept him going as the weeks passed by. Blake found himself on another plane bound for another track, but he had a huge smile on his face.

He had been traveling for about four months by now, and the season was coming to a close. The championship was in his grasp, he knew that, but there was another reason he was smiling… he had a surprise for Tori when he got back.

Back in Blue Bay Harbor, Tori and the others however, were caught in a rather peculiar situation.

Sensei had left them a very cryptic note in the woods, asking them to meet him on the cliffs. Tori had gone without question with the others, but after meeting with him, she was no longer herself…

It would be another two days before Tori would remember anything. She found herself on the ground looking up into Blake's face as he held his hand out to her.

"Dude, my bell has seriously been rung," Dustin said as he got to his feet. Tori took Blake's hand and stood up.

"The last thing I remember was talking with Sensei," she said as she got her wits about her.

Blake, Hunter, and Cam explained that Sensei had really been Lothor and that they had managed to get their powers back.

It was at that time that Tori, Shane, Dustin, Cam, and Hunter met Kira, Ethan, Tommy, Hailey, and Connor.

They all fought together against Mesagog and Lothor as well as their gathered armies.

It was as if the Ninja Rangers never had lost their powers. They worked well together with the other team, and truly succeeded in destroying one evil overlord.

When the whole ordeal was over, the rangers were at the track watching Blake win his first championship.

Tori watched as Blake crossed the finish line with a huge smiled on his face. She lifted her arms in excitement and followed the others as they charged the winner.

She watched as the guys lifted Blake up onto their shoulders and he held his trophy high in the air. Their eyes locked for a second and Tori couldn't help but smile at him.

This is what he had been dreaming about, and he finally had his dream come true.

Blake looked at the crowd and saw Tori laughing with Ethan about something. As soon as he was lowered to the ground, he handed Hunter the trophy and sought out Tori.

As soon as he found her he picked her up and spun her around, finally settling her on the ground. Between all that had happened in the past few days, he just wanted to hold her and he didn't care who was watching. He placed her down and kissed her gently.

"That was great!" she said excitedly. "Looks like we need to make more room for that," she said as she motioned to the trophy Hunter was holding.

Blake laughed and hugged her again. All witnessed the happy scene and they couldn't have been happier for them.

Later that evening everyone was gathered at Cyberspace celebrating their victory. Kira and Trent were 'tending bar' while everyone else was mingling.

Tori and Blake were sitting on the red couch, very close together, when Connor brought them their drinks.

For the next three or so hours, the assorted rangers talked about times past, and what was to come next in their lives.

The ninjas would return to their schools, while the Dino Thunder Rangers finished high school.

"What about you Blake?" Kira asked. "You going to continue racing?"

Everyone turned their eyes to the Navy ranger and he smiled, taking Tori's hand.

"Well, I'm definitely going to continue, but not with Factory Blue," he said. Everyone was in shock for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked.

Blake just smiled. "I talked to Sensei Omino and he's going to let me teach at the Thunder Academy so I can stay close to home."

"But what about racing?" Hunter asked.

"I talked to Kelly and with my winnings, we're starting our own team… and we were hoping that you and Dustin were interested in joining." Hunter and Dustin's faces lit up. "They put me on a 125, so Hunter could race the 250's and Dustin could freestyle."

"That's so sweet!" Dustin said as he and Hunter exchanged high fives. The reaction throughout the café was much of the same, and later that night as Tori and Blake lay in bed, they finally knew that everything was going their way.

Blake held her naked body next to his as they lay panting for breath after another heated love making session… he knew now was the right time…

"Marry me?" he said softly into the darkness. Tori stiffened slightly next to him and propped herself up on her elbows to look him in the eye.

"What was that?" she asked. Blake sat up and reached over to the bedside table. He turned back to her with a beautiful princess out diamond ring in his hand.

"I said… will you marry me?"

Tori just smiled at him as she felt tears brimming her eyes. "Yes," she said softly. Blake placed the ring on her finger and lay her down again…

ONLY ONE MORE TO GO! RR


	15. Time Heals All

6 months later…

"I Blake Bradley, take you Victoria Hanson to be my wife," Blake said as he placed the smooth white gold band on Tori's left right finger.

Tori smiled at him and took his hand. "I Victoria Hanson, take you Blake Bradley to be my husband," she said as she placed an identical ring on his left ring finger.

Sensei looked out over the assembly of guests that had gathered in the spacious backyard of the Hanson manor.

Marah, Kapri, Kelly, and Kira were standing by Tori's side, while Hunter, Cam, Shane, and Dustin were on Blake's. Tommy, Hailey, Trent, Connor, Ethan, Anton, Ella (formally Elsa) were sitting in chairs along with Max and a few other friends of Tori's family. Sensei Amino and Leeann were also in attendance.

"By the powers given to me, I pronounce you husband and wife," Sensei said with happy tears in his eyes.

Without a second thought, Blake grabbed Tori tightly to him and their lips met gently, but passionately. The assembled crowd began to clap as the couple broke away smiling.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. And Mrs. Blake Bradley," Sensei said to the crowd.

Blake and Tori held hands and walked through the crowd of their friends and into the manor. They made their way up the grand staircase and into one of the many sitting rooms.

As soon as they were inside, Blake closed the doors and once again took her in his arms.

Tori's form fitting gown was soft under his fingers and he caressed her back. "I love you Mrs. Bradley," he said as he kissed her.

Tori just smiled. "I love you." They stayed in the room for a few more minutes until a knock was heard on the door.

Hunter poked his head in and smiled at his brother and new sister-in-law.

"We're ready for you guys downstairs," he said. Tori placed her hand on Blake's arm and they followed Hunter down the stairs and into the very spacious dining room where tables were set up with their friends seated at them.

Hunter took his seat next to Kapri and they all watched as the newlyweds made their way to the head table.

After a wonderful dinner, the entire party moved back out into the backyard where a DJ and more tables were set up awaiting them.

As day turned into night, the party went on at full swing. Hunter stepped up to the DJ and took the microphone from him.

"Alright, it's time for the first official dance of the bride and groom," he said.

Blake led Tori out onto the makeshift dance floor and she wrapped her arms around his neck gently as the perfect song for them came through the speakers…

'I am spinning around inside

Through the window you say "climb in for a ride"

All I want is what you are

But if you drive me to my door it'll go too far

I know you by heart

Like the road back home

I know if we touched, I'd have to have you alone

I know you by heart

You're my very best friend

I know if I let you back, it would all start again

'Cause you run wild, wind in your hair

You love for the moment, live for the journey to who knows where

And all I fear you can't control

It's just your nature

You can't find what you need in one soul, and

I know you by heart

Like the road back home

I know if we touched, I'd have to have you alone

I know you by heart

Like my own flesh and blood

What I feel for you, goes deeper than love

In your arms I feel the strength of all that's true

And when you say you love me, I know I was meant for you

But I don't know the part, no I don't know that part

No, I don't know what makes you go away

But I am tired, worn down and all

I haven't the patience, the courage to take another fall

All I need is simple and sweet

To wake in the morning with the one who wants me for keeps, and

I know you by heart

Like the road back home

I know if we touched I'd have to have you alone

I know you by heart

Every inch of your skin

I know if I let it start, I'd never want it to end

I know you by heart, the heart of your soul

I know you like the only home that I'll ever know'

As the song ended, Blake dipped his wife and kissed her sweetly. After a few more hours, the party began to come to a close.

A black limo pulled up and took the happy couple to a hotel for the night, before they headed out on their honey moon…

4 months later…

Tori was pacing around the lake behind the manor wringing her hands. Things had been so strange lately with her and she finally knew why…

While at the academy a few days ago, she noticed that her powers were a bit out of whack, and that she was becoming fatigued easily.

"Tor?"

Tori spun around to see her husband coming down the path towards her. She walked up to him and placed her arms around his neck.

"I have something to tell you," she said. Blake looked at her and smirked.

"And what would that be?"

"I'm pregnant."

The color drained from his face for a moment, and he felt himself getting dizzy.

"Blake? Blake, are you alright?" she asked concerned. Blake snapped out of his trance and realized what was actually happening.

"You're… you're pregnant? Really?" he asked excitedly. Tori nodded her head and he held her to him protectively. "This is the best thing," he said as he began kissing her face causing her to giggle. "How far?"

"About 4 months," she said as they walked back to the house. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"As long as it's healthy and ours, I don't care either way," he said happily. As they reached the house they saw the ever-watchful figure of Max exiting.

He had been hired as security around the manor after all he did for Tori. Tori had tried to dismiss him, but Max refused to let anyone else watch over them.

Tori then told him her news and a tear sprung to his eye. Max knew that Tori was ready for this, and knowing that he had saved her life and allowed for this new life to be made gave him a sense of pride he didn't know he could have.

Five months later saw Blake and Tori in the hospital, holding their newborn son in their arms.

"Max Hunter Bradley," Tori said aloud as she began to drift off into sleep. Blake held the two most important people in his life in his arms, and thanked the powers that be for allowing him this undying love.

A love that overcame everything it came up against, and a love that could never be taken away.

THE END

A/N: YEAH! THAT'S ALL FOLKS! THE SONG IS BY KATRINA CARLSON AND IS SOOO AWESOME! I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS, AND I'M NOT SURE WHEN I'LL BE POSTING ANOTHER FIC… THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS AND KIND WORDS. BLESSED BE…


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